Display rack



Jan. 6, 1942. c. s. \GLENNY 2,268,748

bIsPLAY' mgr; Filed April 27, 15:59

f? h m/( 1W Patented Jan. 6, 1942 i 2,268,748 DISPLAY RACK Clarence S.Glenny, Rockford, Ill., as'signor to The Washburn Company, Worcester,Mass, a cor-' poration of Massachusetts Application April 27, 1939,1Ser'ial No. 270,407

9 Claims.

This invention relates to a new and improved display rack of wireconstruction.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a multiple shelvedrack of light and economical but sturdy construction, and one in whichthe shelves, although foldable into the plane of the frame structure soas to permit shipment of the rack in a small carton, are, nevertheless,adapted when unfolded to operative position to be supported rigidly insuch position i and without likelihood of accidentally folding.

Another object is to provide a rack of the kind mentioned having quicklyattachable and detachable foot pieces, which when attached, afford broadsupport and give the desired stability, but which when removed can beplaced inside the same carton with the rest of the rack in shipment.

Still another object consists in the provision of separate pockets onthe side of the rack formed by U-shaped wires welded to the cross tiewires and projecting ends of the shelf pivot pins, the pockets beingadapted to hold mop handles or the like.

The invention is illustrated in the accompany- T ing drawing, in which-Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, a front and side View of a displayrack made in accordance with my invention showing all but the secondshelf in operative position, that shelf being shown folded so as toindicate the compact form to which the rack is foldable for shipment;

Figs. 3 and 4 are horizontal sectional details on a larger scale takenon the lines 33 and 44 of Figure 1, and

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

The same reference numerals are applied to corresponding partsthroughout the views.

The present rack was especially designed for the display and selling offloor wax, the cans of wax being placed on the shelves 6l0, and four ormore mop handles being kept in the holders H and I 2 resting on thesupport l3 thereconsiderable storage room in a small floor space and yetthe cans or boxes or whatever other articles are placed on the shelvesare all in full view and easily accessible from either side of the rack.

The frame for the rack is formed by three verted U-form to provideopposed parallel legs I5 and Ni interconnected at their upper ends bythe cross portion l1. Two other wire provide companion legs l5a and Iliafor the legs l5 and [6 on opposite sides of the frame and extendparallel thereto and have their upper ends bent laterally as indicatedat I1 in Fig. 2 to be welded to the correspondingly bent portions 18 ofthe legs l5 and [6 at 19. A sheet metal sign plate 20 has edge portions2| wrapped around the upper extremities of the legs 15 and I3 and aroundthe cross portion I1 to provide a place for a display sign while at thesame time reinforcing the frame so that no strain will be imposed uponthe welded joints l9. A-series'of wire cross ties 22-26 welded atopposite ends to the wire I5, I51, I6 and Ilia further reinforce theframe and, as will soon appear, provide supports for the shelf pivotpins 2"! and the shelves 6l0 carried thereon. In'addition, there arewire cross ties "28, 29 and 30 below the cross tie 22, 24 and 26,respectively. These are likewise welded to the frame at their oppositeends and form supports for the ends of brace wires 3|, 32 and 33 whichare of inverted V form and are welded to the pivot wires 21 atthe'middle, as indicated at 34 and have their opposite ends welded tothe middle of the wires 28, 29 and'30. The braces 3l33 give lateralstability and rigidity to the frame.

r30 Detachable wire foot pieces 35 and 36 are arranged to be slippedonto the lower end :of the frame on the opposite sides'thereof and tohave abutment with additional wire cross ties 31 provided below thewires 30 previously mentioned and welded at theiropposite ends to thewires l5+|5a and I6llia. Each foot-piece is formed from a single pieceof wire to a generally trapezoidal form so as to provide widely spacedfeet 38 and 39 at opposite ends of the base of the trapezoid. 'Twovertical U-shaped sheet metal cleats 40 are welded in laterally spacedrelation to each foot piece 35 and 36v and have their'ends 4| perforatedto receive the lower ends of the legs I5-l5a and 'I6Hia, the cleats whenin operative position having abutment at their upper' ends with the endsof the wire cross ties 31, as shown. These foot pieces are obviouslyquickly attachable and detachable and when in place on the lower end ofthe frame afford ample stability due to the wide spacing of the feet38-39.

'Each of the shelves 6-Hl comprises a rectangular frame '42 with a'wiregrill 43 welded thereto. Small wire rings 4'4 are welded to oppositewires, the one wire being bent generally to in- 551 sides of the frame42 and project therebelow,

as clearly appears in Fig. 5, for sliding engagement on the associatedpivot pin 21. The latter has its opposite ends projecting from the frameand welded as at 45 on top of the adjacent wire cross ties 22-26 at themiddle thereof. The wires 21 therefore pivotally support the shelves 6l0by means of their rings 44 so that the shelves may be folded into theplane of the frame like the shelf 1 as shown in full lines in Figs. 1and 2. The shelves are so folded when the rack is placed in a carton forshipment, and obviously this permits use of a very small carton,considering the size of the rack when unfolded for use. The wire crossties 2226 as previously stated are U-shaped. The ends 46 are extendedinwardly and upwardly so as to provide not only supporting ledges 41 ontop thereof on which the wire frames 42 of the shelves are adapted to besupported when in horizontal operative position, but also upwardlyinclined bottom surfaces 48 over which the wire frames 42 will ridefairly freely in the final movement of the shelves toward operativeposition. There is suificient springiness in the frames 42 of theshelves 6-H! so that they will ordinarily spring inwardly of themselvesupon coming into contact with the inclined surfaces 48, especially whenthe shelves are given a quick movement and are brought forcibly intooperative position. If the angularity of the surfaces 48 in someinstances is not sufficient to give the desired cam action, the framecan be sprung sufficiently by hand to clear the extremities of the endportions 46 of the wires 22-26 to enable moving the shelves to operativeposition. Of course, once the shelves are in such position, the inherentresilience of the frames 42 insures their spreading sufiiciently to findsupport on top of the end portions 46 of the wires 22-26. The shelvesmay be folded like the shelf 1 or in the opposite direction, but ineither event it should be clear that they will in unfolding come intoengagement directly on top of the end portions 46 on one side of thepivot pins 21 but must be brought past the extremities of the endportions 46 on the other side of the pivot pins in order to get intoposition on top of said end portions, and it is in that phase of theoperation that the inclined surfaces 48 play an important part infacilitating movement of the shelves to operative position by their camaction on the resilient side portions of the wire frames of the shelves.

I provide the holders H and I2 for mop handles M in the form of U-shapedwires 49, the cross portions 50 of which rest on top of the projectingends 5| of the adjacent shelf pivot wires 27, and are welded thereto asat 52. The oppostie ends 53 of these U-shaped wires 50 rest on top ofthe adjacent wire cross ties 25 and 26 and are welded thereto as at 54.The end portions 5| of the pivot wires 21 therefore bisect the holdersso as to provide two compartments of equal size on opposite sidesthereof, and there is furthermore a slight crimp 55 provided in thecross portion 56 to further divide the two compartments so that eachcompartment will accommodate two mop sticks, and when one. is removedthe other will not incline sideways. The support 13 previously mentionedis also formed from a U-shaped wire having its ends 56 welded on top ofthe adjacent cross wire 30 therebeneath, and it will be noticed thatthis support I3 is disposed with its cross portion parallel with thecross portions 56 of the U-shaped wires 49 forming the holders H and I2,and that it is in a plane approximately midway between the wire crossties 25-26 and the cross portions 50 of the U-shaped wires 49, asclearly appears in Fig. 3. In that way the ends of the mop handles arecertain to come into engagement with this support. It is apparent,therefore, that the mop handle holders are provided at very littleadditional cost and that they find adequate support on the neighboringportions of the rack to which they are welded.

It is believed the foregoing description conveys a good understanding ofthe objects and advantages of my invention, and I do not wish to belimited except by the scope of the appended claims, in which I claim:

1. A foldable rack structure comprising a supporting frame havingopposed uprights, one or more shelves therebetween, pivots supportingsaid shelves on said uprights for pivotal movement of each about atransverse substantially horizontal axis through the middle of theshelves, inward projections on said uprights on one side of the pivotsonto which the shelves are adapted to be engaged when swung tohorizontal position, and supports on said uprights approximately in thesame horizontal plane with said projections but on the opposite side ofthe pivots for releasably supporting said shelves in horizontalposition, said supports and shelves being resiliently held in engagedrelation for rigid support of the shelves in horizontal position, butsaid shelves and supports being movable laterally relative to oneanother for engagement or disengagement of the supports under theshelves.

2. A foldable rack structure comprising a supporting frame havingopposed uprights, shelves therebetween in vertically spaced relation,all adapted to fold into the plane of said-uprights, pivots supportingsaid shelves on said uprights for pivotal movement of each about atransverse axis through portions of the shelves intermediate their freeends. said shelves having resilient marginal frames, and means providinginwardly directed supporting projections on said uprights on oppositesides of the pivots onto which the shelves are adapted to be engagedwhen swung to horizontal position, said shelf frames being adapted to beflexed inwardly to clear the projections in the final movement thereofto horizontal position and being adapted thereafter to spread outwardlyover said projections to rest thereon.

3. A rack structure as set forth in claim 2 wherein the projections onat least one side of the pivots have upwardly inclined bottom camsurfaces arranged to be slidably engaged by the resilient shelf framesin the final pivotal movement thereof to horizontal position,substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. A rack comprising laterally spaced upright side frame members, ahorizontal shelf therebetween adapted to fold to substantially verticalposition, means pivotally supporting said shelf on said uprights forpivotal movement about a transverse axis through a portion thereofintermediate its free ends, an inward projection on one of said uprightson one side of the pivot means adapted to be engaged by the shelf whenswung to horizontal position, and a support on one of said uprights onthe opposite side of said pivot means for releasably supporting saidshelf in horizontal position, said shelf and upright being resilientlyyieldable laterally relative to one another for engagement ordisengagement of the support under the shelf.

5. A rack comprising laterally spaced upright side frame members, ahorizontal shelf therebetween adapted to fold to substantially verticalposition, means pivotally supporting said shelf on said uprights forpivotal movement about a transverse axis, said shelf having a laterallyyieldable resilient side member, and projections on at least one of saiduprights on the opposite sides of said pivot means in substantiallycoplanar relation in a substantially horizontal plane for releasablysupporting said shelf in horizontal position by engagement under saidyieldable side member, the latter being adapted to be flexed inwardly toclear one of said projections when the shelf is swung to horizontalposition and being adapted thereafter to return to normal position andengage on top of said projection for support of the shelf.

6. A rack structure as set forth in claim wherein the projections haveupwardly inclined bottom cam surfaces arranged to be slidably engaged bythe resilient side member in the final pivotal movement thereof tohorizontal position, substantially as and for the purpose described.

7. A wire rack structure comprising a frame having laterally spacedupright side members each formed by two spaced uprights, one or morefoldable shelves between said side frame members each comprising a wireframe having resilient side members, a transverse pivot rod pivotallyconnected to the frame of each shelf at an intermediate portion thereof,and cross wires transversely disposed with respect to the ends of eachrod and fastened thereto and having their end portions fastened to theouter sides of said uprights, the cross wires on at least one side ofthe frame being bent so as to provide ends projecting inwardly beyondthe plane of the inner sides of said upright wires to provide shelfsupporting projections, the shelf on each pivot rod being adapted tobeswung to horizontal position and to have at least one of the sidemembers of the shelf frame flexed inwardly to clear the adjacentprojection in the final movement of the shelf to operative position, theframe being thereafter adapted by reason of its inherent resilience tospread so as to project over and be supported on said projection.

3. A rack structure as set forth in claim '7 wherein the inwardly bentends of said cross wires are inclined upwardly substantially as and forthe purpose described.

9. A structure as set forth in claim 7 including a holder on the outerside of one of said side members comprising a U-shaped, substantiallyhorizontally disposed wire having the two end portions thereofprojecting toward the frame side member and secured in rigid relationthereto, the

adjacent pivot rod having the end thereof projecting outwardly andsecured to the cross portion of said U-shaped wire intermediate the endsthereof.

CLARENCE S. GLENNY.

